Swamplot Archives by Tag: 77007

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Walter’s Was the Only One Left: The Death of Live Music on Washington Ave

August 27, 2009 – 12:18 pm

Live-music maker and fan Jeff Balke gets worked up over the rumor that Walter’s on Washington will be closing its doors after its Halloween show:

At one time, Washington Avenue was home to Rockefeller’s, The Fabulous Satellite Lounge, Club Hey Hey, the Bon Ton Room and The Vatican. Other notables including Walter’s, The Rhythm Room, Tones, Cosmo’s and others had their moments along the popular corridor. When Walter’s closes, that will be that for live music having been replaced by red velvet roped drinking spots that serve over-priced alcohol to those allowed in by bouncers.

Balke blog bonus: A blow-by-blow what-are-they-now guide to Washington Ave live-music venues gone bye-bye.

Houston Press music blog Rocks Off has this vague report: “The building has reportedly been sold and, we hear, Walter’s owner Pam Robinson is looking to relocate.”

Photo of Walter’s on Washington, 4215 Washington Ave.: Yelp user mark s.

12:18 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Attractions, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Nightlife, Openings and Closings
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

More Signs of That Shepherd Restaurant Scene Coming to Life

August 26, 2009 – 12:06 pm
   

Rising soon from the former home of a tombstone business on Shepherd, across Blossom St. from the Kicks indoor-soccer facility: BRC Gastro Pub. Watch out also for Burgerzilla, reported to be working its way to the corner of 11th and Studewood, in the Heights. [Cleverley's Blog]

12:06 pm | 7 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Neighborhoods: Brunner, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Restaurants
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Houston’s New Bayou Park Pump-n-Spritz

August 25, 2009 – 10:37 am

Note: Story updated below.

Feel like taking a quick 16-ounce shower after your turn sweating or just watching the action at the Jamail Skatepark? It looks like Matthew Geller’s pipe sculpture at the Sabine Water Pump Station in Buffalo Bayou Park — counterintuitively named Open Channel Flow — is now will soon be open for pumping.

Here’s architect Joe Meppelink of Metalab and family taking a ceremonial first spritz over the weekend:

Continue Reading This Story >

10:37 am | 6 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Old Sixth Ward, New Construction, Parks, Public Art
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Monday, August 24, 2009

A Little Winter St. Front Yard Action

August 24, 2009 – 4:15 pm

A reader sends in this photo, wanting us to

check out this newly built house in the first ward. On the dirt road aka Winter st. just east of White.

Who would build a house with the train running through their front yard?1?

Only in Houston.

Photo: Swamplot inbox

4:15 pm | 18 Comments | Read more about Gardening, Home Design, Neighborhoods: First Ward, New Construction: Residential, Transportation
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Friday, August 21, 2009

An Old Sixth Ward House To Take Home with You

August 21, 2009 – 5:03 pm

A reader sends in this photo from the corner of Union and Henderson Sts. in the Old Sixth Ward, one block off Washington Ave. And comments:

Anyone in the market for a FREE house? This caught my eye on my way home [yesterday] and made me laugh out loud. I knew it was a rough sellers market but wow - FREE?

Sorry about the ghost images in the picture - I got so excited about a FREE house that I forgot to roll down the car window before snapping the shot!

The home dates to 1890, and was sold in October of last year. This past April, the city historical commission denied the owner’s request for a “certificate of appropriateness” to tear it down.

Photo: Swamplot inbox

5:03 pm | 27 Comments | Read more about Buying and Selling, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Home for Sale, Homes for Sale, Houston History, Neighborhoods: Old Sixth Ward
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Friday, August 14, 2009

Party at Arne’s

August 14, 2009 – 11:23 am

Arne’s Warehouse Store — that 5-building, 2-story maze of party decorations, pet supplies, and small appliances tucked into the embattled warehouse district at the base of the Heights just west of the First Ward — reopened yesterday, almost a year after being hit hard by Hurricane Ike. How hard?

The building that houses Arne’s inventory and staff offices suffered the brunt of the damages – two of its walls were blown down – and the warehouse roof was torn off by the strong winds of the storm, as well. The interior of the store, which is made entirely of wood, and all the products inside got wet, so all goods were purchased by other vendors, thrown out or destroyed. . . .

Although most of the store was in a workable condition, Arne’s was forced to close because it could not function properly without the inventory section. The necessary repairs were made to the warehouse, and the office building was rebuilt.

Photo of Arne’s, 2830 Hicks St., after Hurricane Ike: Paul McRae

11:23 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Neighborhoods: First Ward, Openings and Closings, Retail
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Latest Diversion for Onion Creek: Camp Logan

August 12, 2009 – 6:18 pm

And now, a view of the scene at the former Westcott Bar by the entrance to Memorial Park, where Swamplot’s Rice Military correspondent is ready at the camera. The address: 6603 Westcott, at the corner of Durford.

That banner at the front is announcing a new location for the Onion Creek Coffee House.

Two more views:

Continue Reading This Story >

6:18 pm | 47 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Camp Logan, Neighborhoods: Wanita Place, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Restaurants
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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Block 7: The Calm Before the Scene

August 5, 2009 – 6:01 pm

Alison Cook likes the recently opened Block 7 Wine Company:

The new venture, located in a smartly rehabbed appliance store on Shepherd just south of the Washington strip, combines retail wine sales with a wine bar that also functions as a restaurant. There’s a short, well-edited menu that will soon be expanded but which already looks and tastes promising.

The place looks smashing: airy and crisp and cool, all gunmetal greys and silvers, with black notes for ballast, a shimmer of glassware and a few bright pops of color.

I admired the vintage store fittings salvaged from the original appliance business and repurposed as a check-out desk, as well as the reasonable by-the-bottle prices and the distinct personality of the list, which does not try to be all things to all people.

Speaking of which:

From my window table, I could see Soma, the Japanese fusion and sushi spot on Washington at Shepherd, and I trembled to think of the ravening scenesters that might soon invade my little idyll.

Photo of checkout station, Block 7 Wine Co., 720 Shepherd Dr.: Alison Cook

6:01 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Interiors, Openings and Closings, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail
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Monday, July 27, 2009

No Sign of the Welcome Wagon: Shyann and Jesse Arrive in Rice Military

July 27, 2009 – 1:50 pm

The new owners of this townhome on Reinecke St. in Rice Military “obviously are having some difficulties,” writes reader CK, who snapped this photo of a sign next to the front driveway:

Continue Reading This Story >

1:50 pm | 35 Comments | Read more about Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Rice Military, Signage
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Friday, July 24, 2009

Smashing Modern in Glen Cove

July 24, 2009 – 7:48 pm

Judging from its debut in this morning’s demolition report, it’s looking like the end of the line for the classic 1960 steel-and-glass home at 6040 Glencove St., near Bayou Bend and Memorial Park.

What’s going away?

The house had the kind of wide-open spaces that modernists love, and its floors were marble - cool, [original owner André] Crispin says, under bare feet in the summer.

At 4,600 square feet, the house was large for its era, plenty big enough for the Crispins’ four children and their grand-scale entertaining. When Crispin and his wife hosted musical events, 200 to 300 guests thronged their dramatic living room. There, those guests could admire the wall of glass 14 feet tall. It offered a view of the untamed back yard, a rolling ravine filled with sassafras trees, rabbits and armadillos.

The home was designed by Houston architect Talbott Wilson, 2 years before his firm created the Astrodome. Its current owner, David Mincberg, was appointed by Mayor White earlier this week to serve on the board of commissioners of the Houston Housing Authority. Mincberg bought the property last spring from an owner-broker who employed an innovative marketing plan: the Midcentury Modern came free with purchase of the dramatic 1.35-acre homesite.

What did Mincberg end up paying?

Continue Reading This Story >

7:48 pm | 23 Comments | Read more about Buying and Selling, Houston Architects, Land Sales, Neighborhoods: Glen Cove, Neighborhoods: Memorial, Real Estate Marketing
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Monday, July 13, 2009

Comment of the Day: Bathtime in Cottage Grove

July 13, 2009 – 5:46 pm
   

“I took a look at the flood map which gave me the first inclination of worry. I guess hurricanes don’t give me the biggest concern since they’re not as frequent… *knock on wood* - I guess I’m just trying to get a feel for how often you might find water in your house. One of my friends lived in the Heights and would have a couple inches of water in her house everytime it rained reasonably hard and I’m just trying to avoid that situation. Once again, any insight or other experiences people have had or heard of in Cottage Grove would be great!” [Ryan, commenting on The New Inner Loop Townhome Poster Child]

5:46 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Comments, Flooding, Neighborhoods: Cottage Grove, Quicklink
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye: Otto’s, Back from the Edge of the Market

July 8, 2009 – 5:55 pm

That plan by the owners of Otto’s Bar B Q and Hamburgers on Memorial Dr. to shut down the restaurant, sell the land, and retire on the proceeds didn’t end up going so well after all, the Houston Business Journal’s Allison Wollam notices. The 58-year-old restaurant

was slated to be demolished to make way for the sale of the high-profile Memorial Drive land, but the restaurant has now fully reopened after the owners were unable to find a buyer for the property. The hamburger side of the two-sided restaurant has remained in business, but the portion selling barbecue closed for a time. A sign on the door says the barbecue side of the restaurant celebrated a grand reopening on April 15.

But word of the reopening seems to be spreading slowly. The once-bustling parking lot of the restaurant, for example, was only sparsely populated during lunchtime on a day earlier [last] week.

The owners, June and Marcus Sofka, were told they might be able to get as much as $150 a square foot for their property when they listed it with Cushman & Wakefield at the end of 2007. But a real estate broker tells Wollam the 1.3-acre Otto’s property at 5502 Memorial Dr. and the 17,000-sq.-ft. shopping center the couple owns next door might be worth a little less than half of that today.

Photo: Flickr users Bob & Lorraine Kelly

5:55 pm | 10 Comments | Read more about Commercial Real Estate, Land Prices, Land for Sale, Neighborhoods: Memorial, Openings and Closings, Restaurants
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Spec’s Developments on Washington: The Full Court Press

July 7, 2009 – 12:04 pm

More action in the ongoing battle over the Washington Ave. Spec’s: Responding in kind to the lawsuit filed against his company by the Harris County District Attorney in March, the owner of Spec’s has filed his own complaint against the city of Houston and Harris County.

The new countersuit claims that by granting the store permits, the city had agreed to allow the Spec’s at the Washington and Westcott roundabout to sell alcohol — even though the property was less than 1000 ft. from Memorial Elementary School. According to a city ordinance, only establishments earning more than half their revenue from food sales are allowed to sell alcohol within 1000 ft. of a school.

Spec’s owner John Rydman says the city agreed to issue the permits to sell alcohol at the store

even though the proximity to the school was noted on the application. He said he renovated a building and entered into a five-year lease at a cost of $2 million based on the assumption that the permits were valid. . . .

In a previous interview, Rydman said he knew of the potential problem and would not commit to build out the property or to sign a lease unless the city agreed to a variance. When the permits were granted, he said he thought all obstacles had been cleared.

The Harris County Attorney’s office contends that the granting of the permit was a simple error — and Spec’s officials knew it.

Meanwhile, a Swamplot reader writes in with a few pointed questions about the roles of the building’s owner and leasing agent in the dispute:

Continue Reading This Story >

12:04 pm | 20 Comments | Read more about Development Restrictions, Leasing, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Camp Logan, Retail, Schools
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Monday, July 6, 2009

The First Ward Fights Off a Recycling Center

July 6, 2009 – 8:10 am

Some vocal residents of the First Ward are happy to learn that plans to move a recycling facility to the Harris Moving & Storage location at 1904 Spring St. (pictured above) have apparently been halted. A staff member in the office of newly elected councilmember Ed Gonzalez has indicated to a neighborhood group that Mayor White’s administration has agreed “not to pursue” the relocation.

The 24-hour drop-off recycling center currently operating at at 3602 Center St. (just east of Heights Blvd.) will now apparently stay where it is. Admiral Linen, operators of a facility next door to that location, had wanted to purchase the property from the city.

The Solid Waste department’s plan would have resulted in a recycling center directly adjacent to the not-quite-finished MKT/SP Hike and Bike Trail along Spring St. between Houston Ave. and Taylor. A group of First Ward residents was upset at that plan, and was further angered when the department’s director referred to their neighborhood as “an industrial area” in a neighborhood meeting.

Continue Reading This Story >

8:10 am | 13 Comments | Read more about Cancellations and Delays, Neighborhoods: First Ward
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Monday, June 29, 2009

The New Inner Loop Townhome Poster Child

June 29, 2009 – 12:39 pm
   

“Density hasn’t been kind to Cottage Grove, a small neighborhood with narrow streets, few sidewalks, poor drainage and scarce parking for the owners of its many new homes and their guests. Like many neighborhoods inside Loop 610, Cottage Grove in recent years has experienced a flurry of construction of large townhomes that loom over 80-year-old cottages next door. Two or three dwellings crowd sites where one house stood previously. Streets are cluttered with vehicles parked every which way. Water stands in the streets after heavy rains. ‘It was shocking to see this jewel of a neighborhood in this condition,’ said former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, a senior fellow with the nonprofit Urban Land Institute who toured Cottage Grove two years ago. ‘It was about the ugliest thing I’d ever seen, to be honest with you.’” [Houston Chronicle]

12:39 pm | 22 Comments | Read more about Development Regulations, Neighborhoods: Cottage Grove, Quicklink, Redevelopment, Townhomes
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